Pigs Can Fly in the Sky with Hogs of War: The Miniatures Game
Fly high above the action and deploy units from the skies to capture strategic points in Hogs of War: The Miniatures Game.
Onward with the Hogs of War: The Miniatures Game solo campaign! Interestingly, I’m often terrible at completing any sort of campaign, even if it’s relatively short. In this case, only 5 scenarios existed. But I needed to be pigheaded about reaching the end, so I was ready! This time, I was amazed to discover that aerial elements would enter the battlefield!
Game Overview
Game Name: Hogs of War: The Miniatures Game
Publication Year: 2022
Designers: Paul D. Allen and James Faulkner
Artists: James Churchill and Raben White
Publisher: Stone Sword Games
Solo Mode: Included in Hogs of War: Team Lard
Each solo scenario uses its own special setup. Moving through the campaign, new elements add more strategies. In this case, ground units deployed from a moving airship, and capturing objectives required careful planning. With a round timer in place, the hogs needed to move quickly!
First Play
December 31, 2022
Complexity
3
Latest Play
January 19, 2023
Expansions
2
Setup Time
15 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
4
Play Time
1 Hour & 10 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
46" x 32"
Low Score
N/A
Enemy Planes!
Although there really wasn’t the possibility of aerial combat, the solo opponent had a pair of planes on patrol routes. They created moving attacks I had to avoid.
Most of the aerial elements were still left out, such as setting speed and direction, but this was still nice to see!
I originally felt like leaving these out was problematic and ignored a good amount of the content in the solo mode… Well, I just had to get moving through the campaign!
Essentially, these planes simply moved 2 hexes on their patrol routes and tried to attack anything within range.
A Surprise Contraption
Planes weren’t allowed for my hogs, but I wasn’t entirely left out of the skies. Actually, I had an even better unit!
That’s right: An airship was under my command with some very special bells and whistles. The Klaw could raise and lower this nearby tank… I finally had a tank to use!
In a thematic sense, the lack of a ground deployment point meant that everyone dove from the skies onto the hexes.
My airship had a predetermined route and was immune to attacks. Yet the map had objectives and hazards all over the place. This was going to require careful deployment.
Avoiding the Mines
The first order of business was finding the safe routes around the map. I had to be very careful where I deployed units, courtesy of the endless minefields. Dangerous!
But rather quickly, my hogs secured the first objective and an AA gun. It would offer some protection, and possibly take down an enemy plane at some point.
My airship hummed onward, though, approaching another important area across the river.
It wasn’t a clear shot, either… Enemy ground units were all over the place, ready to recapture what they could!
Surviving the Enemy
Did I finally put my tank on the battlefield? Of course! The Klaw lowered it as an enemy tank realized its folly… Victory! But not before my tank suffered some damage.
It was on fire as a patrol plane flew overhead. The smoke made it an easy target… Or so I thought. An errant dice roll allowed it to survive. Take that, enemy hogs!
Unfortunately, that was the only exciting moment I enjoyed. Maybe I didn’t deploy enough units.
The rules felt a little more confusing for this scenario, and it was a little more on the mechanical side than the others.
The Challenges of Completing a Campaign
It’s not true for every solo player, but I’m in the group that can get fatigued by a campaign game pretty quickly. For whatever reason, I can play some games over and over, yet a structured campaign? Sometimes, I feel like I need to force myself to continue as my mind wanders off to think about other solo games I want to play. Such a dilemma!
Now, solo games should always be fun. If a campaign ever feels like way too much, that’s when I feel fine packing things in and moving in. That also likely means the game simply isn’t for me. A few have been quick and fun to move through, such as Valeria: Card Kingdoms – Darksworn. I loved the simplicity of the rules and interesting narrative!
Continuing on with this campaign after a mediocre solo mission isn’t an act of forcing myself to have fun… It’s more of a realistic consideration about the game. If I gave up now, would I want to restart the campaign next time? Definitely, but then I’ll end up right back in this position. Better to see what’s to come after I enjoyed the first 2 missions.
Set for Collision
Was it any surprise that the Calico Critters were still hanging out around this perfectly themed game? The tiny piglets had something in mind, and when I turned away…
That’s not how to fly planes! This collision course was only staged, although I was assured they had it all planned out so no one would crash. A likely story, indeed.
I read some comments about how the planes didn’t stay on these stands, yet they worked well enough for me!
Even these piglets didn’t upset the center of gravity. No crashes here, thank you very much. But I wondered…
Can It Still Fly?
There was an unspoken challenge to test just how far these planes could go. Would it hold up under the weight of the heaviest Calico Critter pig? We all found out quickly.
He stayed aloft without any trouble! There was a heated discussion about how long he could last in the sky, while someone frantically called him down.
And the last piglet? She waited her turn to fly this odd contraption. After all, she had already been on an airship!
From a humorous standpoint: Pigs can fly. From a component perspective: These plane stands are sturdy!
Session Overview
Play Number: 3
Expansion: Hogs of War: Team Lard
Accessory: Hogs of War: Deluxe Edition
Solo Mode: Included in Hogs of War: Team Lard
Play Details: Mission 3
Outcome: 29 (Win)
It should have been an exciting finish, especially since the first objective was left unattended and was nearly recaptured by the enemy! Maybe it was simply the lull of the campaign midpoint. I still enjoyed the game in general, and am looking forward to the next scenario!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
4
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
8
Quality
Components & Rules
7
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Each mission introduces something new, which can be quite a pleasant surprise with additional components.
- The campaign only spans a total of 5 scenarios, so it’s easy to approach and doesn’t require endless time.
- Although there are plenty of pig-related puns and jokes, there is a rather serious and strategic element in play.
- Dice odds can be improved by planning range properly and utilizing some special abilities of different units.
- Upgrades persist between missions, so collecting crates early on can boost the strength of units from the start.
- Play time rarely feels like it drags on since each scenario has a clear end point, along with a definite failure state.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There is a pretty enormous amount of table space required, and it can be challenging to organize everything.
- It can be easy to lose track of activated units during a round, even when following the initiative order.
- Some rules ambiguities exist here and there, which can take away the immersion and lead to lots of questions.
- Faction flags are difficult to see and would have been better utilized as flag standees to easily locate from afar.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Mission
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Complete mission 1.
Complete mission 2.
Complete mission 3.
Complete mission 4.
Continue the Conversation
What do you think of the solo campaign in Hogs of War: The Miniatures Game? I was a little surprised that I felt a little let down by this mission, but I’m sure it will pick up! Have you struggled with any solo campaign games? The game is still excellent and a lot of fun. Hopefully, the next mission will feature interesting additions with minimal rules!
Sounds like a teaching setup, introducing the air rules a bit at a time so as not to overwhelm the new player.
That’s a good way to think about it! I think it might have thrown me off since it felt like a mini-tutorial as the action was heating up. Not necessarily terrible, yet I think that’s what may have made this feel a little lukewarm. I’m excited to keep going, though: Up next is the promise of an intercepted carrier pigeon and an actual plane of my own!
As a British person of a certain age, my mind goes immediately to Muttley, that unsung hero of the skies. 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dastardly_and_Muttley_in_Their_Flying_Machines
Ha! Seems entirely accurate: There are so many random animals flying up there!